Grain-car door



Oct. 15, 1929. w, C, LAN 'z" 1,731,672

61min CAR noon Filed Jan. 21, 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Inveni or Mrrafi 5. 077 7% Oct. 1 5,- 1929. v w. c. LANTZ I GRAIN CAR DOOR Filed Jan. 21, 1929 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 M arw U. .Zwvfz 9 By Attorney Oct. 15, 1929. w c, AN 1,731,672

GRAIN CAR DOOR Filed Jan. 21, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet m I 2 k 50' Y 7 79 W arm 6: Zwflz Attorney Patented Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED STATES WARREN C. LAN'IZ, OF LE ROY, ILLINOIS GRAIN-CAR DOOR Application filed January 21, 1929. Serial No. 333,851.

This invention relates to improved railway car doors, and it has reference to a door especially made for use in conjunction with grain cars, and more specific reference to the sub-classification in this art embodying a door structure composed of a plurality of independently movable sections provided for facilitating loading and unloading, with the uppermost section spaced from the roof to allow for entrance of the loading chute and to facilitate inspection.

In carrying out the invention I have evolved and produced a structure which includes a lower section swingable outwardly and in a vertical plane and mounted on an intermediate section, the intermediate section being associated with and swingable in a horizontal plane into the interior of the car.

My object is to generally improve upon structures of this class by providing an arrangement which is characterized by economy in construction, practicability and arrangement in association of details, and otherwise constructed to permit a single person to open the door sections without requiring the use of unhandy tools and the like.

Other and more specific structural features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and 3e drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a car body showingthe interior construction of the door structure.

Figure 2 is an outside elevational view of the same.

Figure 3-is a central vertical section taken approximately upon the plane of the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken approximately upon the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a-fragmentary interior elevational view showing the retaining means for the horizontally swingable door sections.

Referring to the drawings in detail it will be observed that the reference character 6 designates generally the car door opening, 7 the wall, 8 the floor, 9 the roof and 10 the suppoting post-arranged on the interior of the side wall and along the vertical edges of the car door opening. In accordance with this invention I provide a pair of verticaldoor hangers, each comprising an elongated sheet of. metal 11 riveted or otherwise fastened tothe post 10 and having one edge portion projecting beyond and into the car door opening, this edge portion designated at 12 is outwardly offset to provide a shoulder as at 13.

The intermediate door section is distinguished by the-reference character 14 which comprises a substantially rectangular plate mounted on one of the hangers by hinges as at 15 in Figure 1. The hinged ends abut the complemental shoulder 13. This is provided on its interior and at its bottom edge with a joint sealing strip 16. The upper door section, whose upper edge terminates in spaced relation downwardly from the roof, is distinguished by the reference character 17.

This is hinged on the same hanger as at 18, and provided on its lower edge with a joint sealing strip 19' which overlies the interior of the upper edge portion of theintermediate section. Both of these sections are formed with reinforcing angle irons 21 arranged in horizontally extending vertically spaced parallelism.

The free end portions of these door sections 14 and 15 swing againstthe flange 12 of the remaining hanger and the extremities of the free endportions abut the shoulder 13. In other words these two door sections becomenested in this offset, flanged edge portion of the two vertical hanger plates 10, thus effecting a tight closure and allowing the flanges 12 to serve as stops to limit the'outward swinging movement. Mounted on the free end portion of these door sections are eye-studs 21 which project outwardly through openings formed in the complemental stop flange 12. Retaining tapered-pins 22 are adapted to drop down through the eyes, the pins being anchored in place by retaining chains 23.

The outwardly and vertically swingable lower door section is distinguished by the reference character 24, and this comprises a horizontal rectangular plate, which as before Here again I provide outstanding retaining studs 27 on the stop strips 26, and these extend through openings in the lower door sections in the position to receive a tapered retaining pin 28. A reinforcing strip 29 is mounted on the lower edge portion of the door section 24 and carries a staple 30 which is adapted to be engaged with the pivoted susta-ining hook 31 on the outerside of the central door section 14:, thus holding the lower door section upand in open position.

In Figure 5 the reference character 32 designates an internal post on the side wall of the car located in a position to accommodate a pivoted retaining latch 83 which serves to hold the swingable horizontal intermediate upper door section open. In other words, a latch is provided for each door section, and when the door section is swung open the latch is dropped down to hold the door section in this open space.

In practice it is obvious that the intermediate and upper door sections are normally retained in closed position when unloadin At this time the lower door section is swung outwardly and up and the staple 30 is fastened on the hook 31 to hold this door section open. Of course prior to this the retaining pins 28 are withdrawn from the studs 27 to permit such opening. Following this the intermediate door section is swung open, and finally the upper door section is swung open and latched back against the interior of the wall of the car. In loading the intermediate section and lower section are both closed, and the chute is placed over the upper edge of the intermediate section, until the level of the grain reaches a point where it is necessary to close the upper section. Then the chute is placed in the space between the upper edge of the upper section and the roof 9 of the car.

From the foregoing description and drawings it will be seen that I have evolved and produced a light weight, easily operable door structure, which, it is believed, is a mechanical achievement in the art. The structure has been found to be eflicient in performance and positive and dependable in action and capable of operation by a single man without requiring the use of special tools. It fulfills the requirement of an invention of this class in a highly satisfactory manner. These and other advantages and features have doubtless been made apparent from the description and to in actual practice, if desired.

Having described the invention what Iv claim is:

1. In a structure of therclass described, in combination, a car body having a car door opening on opposite sides of which are Vertically extending door supporting posts, vertically extending plates fastened to the interior of said posts and having edge portions extending beyond the outer edges of said posts and into the door opening, said extending edge portions constituting'stop flanges and being laterally offset in an outward direction in order to provide vertically extending shoulders, a horizontally disposed intermediate door section hingedly connected at one end with one of said plates, an upper door section hingedly connected at the same end to the same plate, the opposite free end portion of said door sections being swingable against the remote stop flange, and the opposite ends of both of said door sections being engageable with said vertically extending shoulders, a pair of relatively short stop strips fastened to the lower end portions of said flanges and projecting beyond the vertical edges of the flanges, a lower door section hingedly mounted on the lower end portion of the intermediate door section and swingable down against the projecting end portions of said stop strips.

2. In a structure of the class described, in combination, a car body having a car door opening on opposite sides of which are vertically extending door supporting posts, vertically extending plates fastened to the interior of said posts and having edge portions extending beyond the outer edges of said posts and into the door opening, said extending edge portions constituting stop flanges and being laterally oflset in an outward direction in order to provide vertically extending shoulders, a horizontally disposed intermediate door section hingedly connected at one end with one of said plates, an upper door section hingedly connected at the same end to the same plate, the opposite free end portion of said door sections being swingable against the remote stop flange, and the opposite ends of both of said door sections being engageable with said vertical- 1y extending shoulders, a pair of relatively short stop strips fastened to the lower end portions of said flanges and projecting beyond the vertical edges of the flanges, a lower door section hingedly mounted on the lower end portion of the intermediate door section and swingable down against the projecting end portions of said stop strips, together with horizontally joint sealing strips mounted on the interior side of said upper and intermediate door section and bridging the horizontal joint between all of said door sections, whereby to provide a complete grain seal.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WARREN O. LANTZ. 

